Throughout every culture there is some scary story, urban legend, and superstition to be told. The purpose of these stories were to prevent children from behaving, teach a lesson, or just create general fear. Some people even say that you can see what certain cultures fear based off of their urban legends or superstitions. So for Halloween I wanted to tell some urban legends/folklore from different cultures. Some you know others you probably don’t.
Boo Hag
The Boo Hag is a mythical creature from Gullah culture folklore. The Gullah people are Creole-speaking African Americans who live in the Lowcountry regions of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. What differentiates them from other African Americans is that they were able to retain more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage. The Boo Hag is similar to a vampire except instead of sucking blood they get energy by taking their victims breath while riding them. The Boo Hag has no skin so they are red. When they choose a victim they will get into the house through a crevice, or small crack or hole. It sits on the victim and sucks out their breath. By sucking out the persons breath it makes them go into a dream filled sleep. Then they take the person’s skin and will wear it as clothing for as long as the skin lasts. Boo Hags usually leave a person alive so they can come back and use their energy again. But if a person struggles, the Boo Hag may take their skin and leave them to suffer. After taking the person’s energy the hag flies off, as they have to be in their own skin by dawn or they will be destroyed. When the victim awakes they will usually feel a little tired or have shortness of breath. If the air around you becomes hot and damp and smells like something is rotting, then the Boo Hag is close by.
Three-Legged Lady
In Mississippi there is the folklore of the Three-Legged Lady who haunts Nash Road. She is also known for terrorizing and chasing down cars. If someone is driving and they want to see her they should stop somewhere on Nash Road, turn off their headlights, and honk three times. After this she will knock on the roof of the car and then race the car down the road all while slamming into it with her body. She has two regular legs, and then a third rotting leg sticking out on the side. Possible explanations is that the third leg is her daughters who was dismembered. The leg was the only thing she ever found of her daughter. Another is that the third leg is that of her lover’s that was removed and attached to her. Lastly, she could be the result of satanic rituals and sacrifices that have been done in a church.
Teke Teke
Teke Teke is a Japanese Urban Legend about a schoolgirl or young woman who fell on a railway line and then was cut in half by a train. She is said to be an Onryō, or vengeful spirit. As she only has half her body you can see her dragging her upper torso around using her arms or elbows. When she does this she makes a “teke teke” like sound. If a person ever runs into her at night she will chase them and slice them in half, mimicking what was done to her. Despite no legs she can apparently run seriously fast, even catching up to people in cars.
My next post will be about more urban legends, as my favorite genre is horror and I like researching these things. Which ones do you think are the scariest and/or you have the best chance of escaping?
slh6222
October 30, 2020 at 11:39 pmFirst, Happy Halloween to you! I love this holiday’s festivities, which is sort of funny/ironic because I’m not a horror-fan! I got chills thinking about the Boo Hag with the air getting sucked out of your lungs… euh, shivers! But really, I think it’s super fun to look at what different holidays mean in different cultures. It brings me back to Spanish class when we learned about “Dia de los Muertos” which is sort of an equivalent to Halloween, but its more of a day to celebrate the dead instead of making everything death scary. They still wear “mascaras” (masks) and dress up, but it is super ceremonial and honorable. This was an amazing read for my Halloween Eve! Thank you so much for this awesome post!!
Blake Lipko
November 1, 2020 at 6:49 pmThis was such an interesting post to read because as a kid I was always fascinated about legends and myths around the world. I’m sure most of my Youtube history from when I was younger was filled with stuff like this. However, I have never heard of any of these three as I only ever read about the more common ones. It’s neat to see how different cultures flesh out these legends as mainstream culture doesn’t necessarily touch on them (except for the film about Teke Teke). I’m excited to see your future posts about horror because I’m a huge fan of scary stuff myself. Great post!
Alexandria McKenna
November 1, 2020 at 10:48 pmWhat an interesting post, LeMhai! I have never heard of the Boo Hag, the Three-Legged Lady, and Teke Teke before, but all those urban legends sound frightening! After reading about each myth, I think I would have the best chance at escaping the Three-Legged Lady, as long as I stay in my car and drive fast when she comes 😂 The Boo Hag is too unpredictable and overpowering, whereas Teke Teke is too fast. The Three-Legged Lady also seems fast, but I would most likely come across her while in my car, so my chances of escaping her would be the highest out of all three. I loved this post and the fun questions at the end! I can’t wait to read your next post!
nxw5198
November 2, 2020 at 2:08 amWhat a great Halloween themed post! I really like learning about urban legends, because every time it’s always something new and frighteningly random. I really hope I never have the chance of seeing any of these myths face to face. I might have a heart attack right on the spot! I never heard about these particular urban legends before and the Boo Hag seems like something I hope never exists. Long story short, horror is not my thing, however, I loved your post and will be eagerly waiting for your next installment.